Types of conlang and more on traditional Chinese etymology vs PreBabel (Chinese)
Day forty -- Types of conlang and more on traditional Chinese etymology vs PreBabel (Chinese). From Tienzen Gong: There are, at least, two types of conlang. 1. Verbal centered with the written as the carrier. 2. Written centered, and then, it has three choices. 1. keep it mute, as a silent language. 2. create its own verbal. 3. adopt an existing verbal language. The PreBabel is obviously a written centered conlang, and it has, at least, two stages. Stage 1: adopting its hosting verbal as its verbal language, such as, PreBabel (English) will speak in English, and PreBabel (Japanese) will speak in Japanese. Stage 2: creating its own verbal when the PreBabel (Proper) emerges. Yet, we have just discovered that the Chinese Lii set (the Big 5 set) is, in fact, a constructed written language. Thus, it can be a good model for us to understand its process of adopting an existing verbal language, and its process is, seemingly, different from the crude procedure that the PreBabel (language x) is using. For every vocabulary of a language, it has four parts. 1. The word form -- the word token. 2. The word sound -- the pronunciation of the word token. 3. The word meaning -- the meaning of that word token. 4. The word usage -- the word meaning under some grammatic rules (which include the context circumstances). At this point, I would like to analyze only the first three parts and exclude the grammatic dynamics on the words. Yet, the dynamics of these three parts cannot easily be described with the above terms. So, I will use a new set of terms for their dramatic effect, and these are "Equivalent Transformations." 1. word token -> blob 2. word sound -> plop 3. word meaning -> glob If we know the internal structure of the "blob", it is a transparent blob (t-blob), otherwise an opaque blob (o-blob), so as (t-plop, o-plop) and (t-glob, o-glob). Using the word "book" as an example, 1. As we are unable to know that (b,o,o,k) means book, it is an o-blob. 2. As we always know that "book" pronounces as book, it is a t-plop. 3. As the meaning of "book" to be book is assigned, it is an o-glob. With the above definitions, we can now analyze the Lii set (the Big 5 set). 1. With the Kangsi leading radical set, every Chinese character has a head (leading radical) which carries an o-blob body. Thus, every Chinese character is still an o-blob. 2. Without the pin-ying (or some other external sound marks), no one knows the pronunciation of a character from the blob. So, every Lii set character carries an o-plop. 3. With the o-blob and the o-plop, every Lii set character is also an o-glob. The meaning of the blob is assigned. Thus, the Lii set character is an arbitrary designed o-blob which carries the assigned o-plop and o-glob. As both Pulleyblank and Baxter know the Lii characters only as o-blobs, their works on the phonology reconstruction are the studies of the evolution of o-plops vs the evolution of the o-globs. Of course, this kind of study is important and can produce many good knowledge on their evolutions. On the contrary, my "Chinese Etymology" is significantly different from their works. The fundamental difference is that the characters of Lii set are not o-blobs but t-blobs in "Chinese Etymology." Thus, 1. word token -- t-blob (B), with internal structure, composed with roots. 2. word sound -- t-plop (P), a sound tag (radicals, composed of roots) is found in the word token. 3. word meaning -- t-glob (G), an innate meaning of the word token can be read out loud from its composing roots. In "Chinese Etymology," there are, 1. 220 word roots (+ 50 variants) 2. about 500 P (sound modules, 300 are listed in the book Chinese Etymology). Thus, the "construction" equations for the Lii set are as follow, o B = root(s) + one P, the pronunciation of B is P. o P = root + root(s), the pronunciation of P is assigned, as sound module. o G = there are two cases. 1. G = root(s) + one P, the sound of the P is not part of the meaning. 2. G = root(s) + one P, the sound of the P plays some or important roles for the meaning. Yet, there is one advanced equation. o B(a) = root + root(s), without a P. o G(a) = root(a) + root(s) is a synonym of B(x). o P(a), the pronunciation of B(a) = P(B(x)) This is the most bizarre equation in linguistics that I have ever seen. By knowing these detailed equations, "Chinese Etymology" has transformed Chinese written language from the most difficult language to the easiest language to learn in the world. Now, it is the time to tell a story. There is a security room in a bank, and it has 10 locked steel doors one after another. Inside the room is a treasure map. Mr. A knew all the combinations for all 10 locks and got the treasure map long ago. One day, Mr. B yelled "Eureka, I just figured out the combination for the first door" and demanded Mr. A to buy his new discovery. What do you think about this short story? This is my story about Pulleyblank's and Baxter's work, an Eureka, indeed. Let's get back to the point. By knowing the Lii set equations, we are, now, having some guiding lights for our own effort of constructing the PreBabel. Note: Declaration -- the Lii set equations are my invention for the Lii set as it is. I have no idea that whether either Wang or Chang knew about these equations or not, but I don't think so. Signature -- PreBabel is the true universal language, it is available at http://www.prebabel.info